Straightening machine for needles and the like



Aug. 14, 1928. 1,680,649

w. TIVENDALE STRAIGHTENING MACHINE FOR NEEDLES AND THE LIKE Fi 4 Sheets$heet 1 INVENTOR lfi'liamZmw/e ATTORNEY Aug. 14, 1928. 1,680,649

. w. TIVENDALE STRAIGHTENING MACHINE FOR NEEDLES AND THE LIKE Filed June 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 unnun |NVENTOR M/k'am 72mm WI NES s 4 BY D I TTORNEY Aug. 14, 1928.

W. TIVENDALE STRAIGHTENING MACHINE FCR NEEDLES AND THE HIKE Filed June 5, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 lN VENTOR Mlliamflwnda/e ATTORNEY Aug. 14, 1928.-

W. TIVENDALE s'rnuemnume mcrmw FOR NEEDLES AND THE LIKE Filed June 1926 4 S heets-Sheet 4 H myENToR v Wz'llzamflrmdale ATTORNEY WITNESSEf Patented Aug. 14, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM TIVENDALE, OF CLYDEBANK, SCOTLAND, ASSIGNOB TO THE SINGER MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF ELIZABETH, NE! JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

STRAIGHTENING MACHINE FOR NEEDLES AND THE LIKE.

Application filed June 3,1926, Serial No. 113,441, andin Great Britain June 19, 1925.

This invention relates to a machine for straightening sewing machine needles, light bars and the like, and more particularly to a machine for straightening fiat-shank needles, i. e., needles of which the shanks are formed with a slabbed face.

It is highly important in a sewing machine flat shank needle that the needle-blade occupies a definite position with respect to its fiat shank, because the flat shank constitutes the needle-locating means in the needle-clamp and the needle-blade must correspond definitely with this position in order that the sewing machine loop-taker complemental to the needle will cooperate there-- with correctly in the formation of stitches. In a common form of sewing machine needle, the slabbcd shank face thereof is substantially tangential to the needle blade and is located on the short-groove side of the needle-blade, the long-groove side of the needle being opposite to the flat shank thereof. As a result of hardening a needle, the blade thereof is very apt to be distorted in the direction of the long-groove side ofthe needle and to a less extent toward the short groove side i. e., the needle is primarily apt to be distorted out of the plane of its flat shank. While there is comparatively little tendency toward distortion of the needle, during hardening. in the plane of the flat shank, a slight deflection in this plane is evidently not nearly so important as in a plane transverse thereto. It will therefore be seen that for sewing machine use the needle must be particularly straight in a plane out of which deflections are most likely to occur as a result of hardening the needle.

The present invention, which may be regarded as a development of the subject of my prior Patent- No. 1.625. 69L'datcd April 19, 1927, has for its object to provide a n hchine for straightening flat-shank needles as to deflections from the plane of the slabbcd faces of the needle shanks.

To this end, the present invention comprehends the provision of a plurality of hammering stations disposed successively along the path of travel of the needles advanced by continuously acting feeding means comshank slabbed faces.

prising continuously rotating fecdscrews. In the present instance two hammering stations are employed and at each station there are two hammers with associated anvils, the two hammers of each station being so disposed as 'to act successively and at spaced points of the length of the needle-blades. The needles are preferably supplied automatically to the feed-screws from a suitable hopper and will naturally assume an initial position with their slabbed shank faces underneath. In this position the needles are propelled. by the feed-screws over a vertically adjustable shank-rest. being held against rotation by the yielding action of spring-pressed presser-plates opposed to the shank-rest, so that the hammers of the first station operate individually on each needlelade perpendicularly to the plane of the slabbed shank thereof.

Between the two hammering stations, the shank-rest is stepped downwardly t'o continue at a lower level, one of the feed-screws having its threads proportionately deepened and the presser-plate above said stepped portion being eonformablv shaped, whereby each needle as it reaches the stepped port-ion is inverted or caused to perform a semi-somersault so that each needle thereafter bears with its-slabbed shank-face against the lower face of the presser-plate thereabove. In this inverted position the needles pass to and beyond the second hammering station.

In. order to. insure retention of the needleposition during the action of the hammers thereupon, means are provided for at that time increasing the holding pressure upon the needles, said means comprising springpressed plungers engageable with the needle- In the present instance. the plungers at the first hammering station are incorporated in the shank-rest and at the second hammering station they are incorporated in the top pressers. As heretofore, the hammer blows are automatically controlled by impact-regulating devices including feelers, it being" understood. however. that in the present embodiment of the machine the needles are not-rotated in contact with the feelers. l

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a. top plan view of a machine constructed in accordance with the present invention, the supply-hopper being indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is an end elevation. partly in section, of the machine as viewed from the right in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front elevation, partly in section, of the shank-rest and its support. Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view drawn to a large scale illustrating the construction of the shank-rest and top-pressers for inverting the needles. Fig. 5 is an elevation of a top-presser and incorporated plunger, together with sections of the shank rest and feed-screws. Fig. 6 is an elevation, partly in section, of a. presser and plunger as viewed from the right in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation of a needle-holding plunger incorporated in the shank-rest. Fig. 8 is a side view of a needle transverse to the plane of its fiat shank. Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view on a large scale, illustrating the deepening of the threads of one of the feed-screws to maintain the needles horizontal after inversion.

Referring to the drawings, the operative mechanism of the machine is mounted upon a table 1 from which projects laterally a stud-shaft 2 supporting, for unison rotation, a driving-pulley 3 and a spur-gear 4;. The driving-pulley 3 may have belt-connections with any suitable power source, while the spur-gear 4 meshes with a similar gear 5 seoured upon the projecting end 6 of a needle conveying feed-screw 7. The screw 7 is journaled adjacent its projecting end 6 in an adjustable bearing-braeket 8 and at its opposite end is supported by a pintle 9 on another adjustable bracket 10. A feed-screw 11 is disposed in substantial axial parallelism and in spaced relation with respect to the screw 7, the top of the screw 11 being approximately at the level of the axis of screw 7. The feed-screw 11 is supported at one end by a pintle 12 suitably fixed in an adjustable bracket 13 mounted upon the table 1 and is journaled at its opposite end in a bearing bracket 11, at which end said screw is connected by suitable gearing with the feedscrew 7 to cause the fcedscrews to rotate at equal speeds in opposite directions. The screws 7 and 11 are of opposite. hand and cooperate to advance needles N laterally.

lVhile the needles to be straightened may be manually supplied to the conveyor-scre\vs, it is preferred to supply the needles automatically from a hopper which may be of' any suitable construction, as for instance substantially of the form fully disclosed in the machine of my prior patent hereinbefore referred to, said hopper being indicated by the dotted lines 15 in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The needles N supplied to the feed-screws have slabbed shanks and will naturally as sume a position with the fiat shank-faces underneath, by virtue of the rotation of the screws and the provision of a sectional shank-rest disposed between said screws.

The upper surface of the shank-rest is flat widthwise to bridge the space between the feed-scrcws, for supporting the needles sub stantially at the level of the axis of screw 7, the bases of the screw-threads of which hold the needles against longitudinal movement in one direction. The shank-rest comprises longitudinally alined, restbar sections 16, 17, 18 and 19 which are secured by screws as 20 upon a rest-bar carrier 21 confined to vertical adjustment by guide-ln'ackets, as 22, having elongated apertures 23 entered by screws 21, said brackets 22 being suitably secured upon the table 1. Provision is made for effecting accurate vertical adjustment of the carrier 21 by supporting said carrier upon graduated disks, as .15. having integral shanks, as 26, threaded through the table 1 and carrying manipulating heads, as 27. The disks 25 may be secured in adjusted position by suitable lock-nuts, as 28.

Interposed between the sections 16 and 17, and sections 17 and 18 of the shank-rest, so as to be incorporated in said shank-rest, are plunger-heads 29 and 30 having substantially the same configuration as the rest-bar sections. Each of the plunger-heads 29 and 30 is secured by a screw, as 31, upon the upper end of a plunger 32 having a threaded shank 33 terminating in an integral, reduced extension-pin 34. Each extension-pin 34: is slidingly disposed in a bushing 35 adjustably threaded into a cross-piece 36 sustained below the table 1 by shouldered spacing bolts 37 passing through suitable apertures in said table and threaded into the under side of the rest-bar carrier 21. To permit vertical adjustment of the plunger heads 29 and 30 independently of the adjustment of the carrier 21. an adjusting nut 38 is threaded upon each of the shanks 33 of the plungers, which nuts bear against the under side of said carrier and are each provided with peripheral teeth 39 engaged by a suitable locking pawl 40. In order to yieldingly hold the plungers in elevated position, springs 41 are interposed between the threaded plunger-shanks 33 and the bushings the pressures of said springs being determined by adjustment of said bushings which are secured in adjusted position by lock-nuts 42.

As shown more clearly in the diagrammatic view of Fig. 4, the upper surface of the rest-bar section 18 adjacent the section 19 is provided with a downward bevel 43 terminating in an abrupt declivity or shoulder 44, while the upper surface of the restbar section 19 is at a lower level than the level of the other rest-bar sections. By this construction, the needles N, of which the slabbed shanks slide over the rest-bar sections 16, 17 and 18, are inverted by their pasion sage over the bevel 43 of section. 18 and the subsequent drop to the lower level of the rest-bar 19, said needles thereafter continumg in inverted position along the rest-bar 19. To maintain the needles substantially horizontal after inversion, the groove of the feed-screw 11 is in practice proportionately deepened from a point opposite the bevel 43, to the delivery end of said feed-screw, as particularly shown diagrammatically in Fig.v 9 of the drawings. In this figure, the base of this feed-screw thread-groove adjacent the rear presser 45 is indicated as at the level of the dot-dash line A and adjacent the first of the pressers46 as at the level of the dot-dash line B, the latter of which is at a lower level than the line A. 7,

Opposed to the shank rest so as to yieldingly hold the needles thereagainst are two pairs of presse-r-plates 45'and 46. As shown more clearly in Figs. 1 and 2 each of the pair of resser-plates 45'is directly secured by screws, as 47,. upon a presser-lever 48, supported for pivotal movement by a fulcrum-pin 49 bridging spaced ears of an angleracket 50 adjustably secured upon the table 1. Said angle-brackets 50 each carry a stop-plate 51, between which and a presserlever 48 is interposed a coil expansion-spring 52 limited in its action by a stop-screw 53 adjustably threaded into the presserlever 48 and bearingagainst the stop-plate 51.

The pair of presser-plates 46, as shown more particularly in Figs. 1, 5 and 6 are each formed with a lateral shank 54 secured by screws, as 55, to the lower face of a presser lever 56 supported and spring: pressed in a manner similar to the presserlevers 48. The presser-plate holding end of the presser-levers 56 differs, however, from that of a presser-lever 48, in being each provided with an integral, upright guide-bracket 57. The lower portion of the bracket 57 is provided with a vertical, rectangular, guideway 58 closed on the front face of the bracket by a plate 59 secured in position by screws. as 60. Slidingly disposed in'the apertured upper portion of each bracket 57 is the round shank 61 of a rectangular plunger 62 slidingly fitted within the guideway 58. Securedby a screw 63 upon the lower end of each plunger 62 is a plunger head. 64. passing through a suitable opening provided therefor in a presser'plate'46. The shank 61 of each plunger is formed with an enlarged threaded portion 65 for an adjustingnut 66 and a lock-nut 67 between which nut 66 and the upper portion of the bracket 57 is interposed a coil-spring 68. The spring 68 acts to depress the plunger-heads 64 into contact with the needles N, the downward movement of the plungers being limited by a graduated adjustingmut 69 threaded upon the upper end of the plunger-shank and resting upon the upper surfaceof the movement of each of the hammers is bracket 57. The adjusting nut 69 may be secured in adjusted position by means of a lock-nut 70. As will be observed by inspection of Fig. 4, the presser-plate- 46 initially engaging the needles is formed. with a downward bevel 46 so that the continuing needle-engaging surface thereof conforms to the lower level of the rest-bar section 19.

The straightening mechanism employed in the present machine comprises impactstraighteners or hammers and complemental anvils, together with automatic impact-regulating mechanism, including feelers, for the hammers, all of which aresimilar to the straightening mechanism of my prior patent before referred to, excepting in the relative disposition of the hammers and in the nonrotation of the needles in contact with the feelers. The entire straightening mecha nism, as before, is mountedupon an auxiliary plate 71 adjustably supported upon the table 1, as shown more particularly in Figs. 1 and 2. Secured upon the plate 71 are a plurality of spaced bearing-standards 72 in which is ournaled a hammer-actuating shaft 73 carrying at one end a belt-pulley 74, which may have belt-connections with any suitable power source. Fixed upon the shaft 7 3 between said standards 72 are four camwheels 7 5, adapted, in the usual manner, to actuate the hammer-helves 76, 77, 78 and 79, pivotally supported upon the standards 72 and carrying at their free. ends the hammerheads 80, 81, 82 and 83. A pair of hammers 80 and 81 may be described as comprising an initial hammering station and the pair of hammers 82 and 83 as comprising the final hammering station. It will be observed that the helves of each pair of hammers differ in length, whereby at each hammering station the needles are successively acted upon by the hammers at different portions of the length of said needles, the hammers 80 and 82 of said stations preferably acting upon the needles at a point adjacent the needleshank and the hammers 81 and 83 preferably acting upon the needles nearer the points thereof. It will. be obvious, of course, that other similar stations or more hammers at each station may be provided if desired to multiply the straightening action along; the

length of the needle-blades.

The degree of hammer impact is directly controlled by the needles, there being provided an individual impact-regulating mechanism for each hammer. The impact con trolling mechanism for each hammer includes feelers 84 which influence a vibratory lever 85 to which is secured a resilient stem 86 carrying the active wedge-member 87 of the impact-regulator and the position of which determines the degree of impact, as before. Adjacent the paths of reciprocatory disposed an anvil 88 adjustably secured upon the auxiliary supporting-plate 71.

In the operation of the machine the needles N are successively supplied to the feedscrews and natu ally assume a position with flat shank IT" thereof engaging the shankrest below the needles, said needles being initially further supported by an auxiliary ledge 89 adjacent the screw 11. The feedscrews advance the needles laterally, first somewhat slowly because of the initial slow pitch of the screws and then relatively faster as the screw-pitch increases under the first presserplate 45. The presser-plates hold the needles against rotation as they advance to and beyond the hammering stations, excepting at the point of inversion of the needles between said stations. The pressure upon the needles is increased as the hammers and 81 act thereupon, by the provision of the plunger-heads 29 and 30 incorporated in the shank-rest as previously described. The blades of the needles N advancing in this manner past the first hammering station initially receive a plurality of automatically regulated blows from the hammer 80 at the portion of the needle-length adjacent the shank thereof and are then acted upon in a similar manner by the hammer 81 nearer the needle points. The needles are then automatically inverted as they leave the rest-bar section 18 and continue in inverted position past the second hammering station where the opposite sides of said needles are similarly acted upon by the hammers S2 and 83, it being understood that as the needles are straightened by the hammers 82 and 83 the pressure upon the needles is increased by the action of the plungers 6i incorporated in the presscrs -16 as previously described. The needle-shank-rest terminates at a point slightly beyond the hammer 83, whereupon the straightened needles are free to drop through an opening 90 provided in the table 1.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is:

1. A straightening machine having a plurality of hammers arranged to act upon a needle at different stations, means for feeding non-rotating needles past said hammers during effective needle-straiglitening opera-- tions of the hammers, and means for turning each needle through 180 around its axis between the hammering stations.

2. In a straightening machine, a plurality of hammers arranged to act upon a needle at diil'erent hammering stations, feeding means comprising continuously rotating conveyorserews for advancing needles past said hammering stations, means for holding the needles against rotation during their movement past a hammering station, and means for axially inverting the advancing needles between hammering stations.

3. In a straightening machine, a plurality of hammers arranged to act upon a needle at different hammering stations, feeding means for advancing non-rotating needles past said hammering stations, and means for inducing axial inversion of the needles in the feeding position thereof with respect to said feeding means.

4. In a straightening machine, needlestraightening mechanism, needle-feeding means, means for restraining the needles against rotation during a portion of the needle advance, and means for axially inverting the needles during the needle-rut vancing operation of said feeding means.

5. In a straightening machine, a plurality of hammers arranged at each of successive hammering stations to individually act upon the needles at different portions of the length thereof, feeding means active during a hammering period for advancing non-rotating needles past said hammering stations, and means for axially inverting the needles between successive hannnering stations.

6. A straightening machine having a plurality of hammers arranged to successively act upon needles at dill'erent portions of the length thereof, means for relatively feeding the needles and hammers during eflective needle-straightening operations of said hammers, a presser-member yieldingly bearing upon the advancing needles, and means for imparting an increasedpressure upon said needles during the action of a hammer time upon.

7. In a straightening machine, a plurality of hammers arranged to act upon a needle at difi'erent hammering stations, feeding means for successively advancing non-rotating needles past said stations, and a shankrest for supporting the needles during their advancing movement, said shank-rest being stepped intermediate its length to induce axial inversion of the needles.

8. In a straightening machine, a plurality of hammers arranged to act upon a needle at different han'nnering stations, feeding means for successively advancing non-rotating needles past said stations, and a needle-supporting shank-rest provided between said stations with a downward bevel terminating in an abrupt declivity for inducing axial inversion of the needles.

9. In astraightening machine, a plurality of hammers arranged to act upon a needle at different hammering stations, feeding means for successively advancing needles past said stations, and a needle-supporting shank-rest disposed at different levels at successive hammering stations.

10. In a straightening machine, a plurality of hammers arranged to act upon a needle at different hammering stations, feeding means for continuously advancing needles past said stations, a needle-supporting shank-rest disposed at different levels at successive hammering stations, and means for effecting adjustment of the levels of said shank-rest.

11. In a straightening machine, a hammer, means for actuating said hammer, feeding means for advancing needles laterally past said hammer, a needle-supporting slranlcrest, a presser opposed to said shank rest, and a yielding plunger incorporated in said shank-rest engaging the shanks of the advancing needles.

12. In a straightening machine, a hammer, means for actuating said hammer, feeding means for successively advancing needles laterally past said hammer, a needle-supporting shank-rest, a presser yieldingly opposed to said shank-rest, and a plunger incorporated in and yielding independently of said presser for engaging the needles adjacent the path of movement of said hammer.

13. In a straightening machine, a ham- 181, means for actuating said hammer, feeding means for successively advancing needles laterally past said hammer, a shankrcst carrier, a plurality of rest-bar sect-ions secured upon said carrier for supporting the shanks of the advancing needles, a plunger interposed between said rest-bar sections, and means urging said plunger to yielding- 1y engage the advancing needles adjacent the path of movement of said hammer.

14. In a needle-straightening machine, a plurality of hammers arranged to successively act upon the needles, feeding means for advancing the needles laterally past said hammers, a shank-rest carrier, a plurality of rest-bar sections secured in spaced relation upon said carrier for supporting the needle-shanks, a plurality of plungers interposed between said rest-bar sections, means urging said plungers to yieldingly engage the needles adjacent the path of movement of said hammers, and means for effecting vertical adjustment of said shank-rest carrier to thereby simultaneously adjust the elevation of said restbars and plungers.

15. In a needle'straightening machine, a needle supporting shank-rest, feeding means for continuously advancing needles laterally along said shank-rest, needlestraightening hammers arranged along said shank-rest to act upon opposite sides of the needles, and yielding means engaging one and the same side of the needle shanks during the action of said hammers to hold the advancing needles against rotation.

16. In a straightening machine, a succession of hammers arranged to act upon a needle at different hammering stations, means for continuously feeding non-rotating needles laterally past said stations, means for inverting the needles between the hammering stations, and yielding plungers oppositely directed at successive hammering stations engaging the shanks of the advancing needles.

17. In a needle-straightening machine, a plu 'ality of hammers arranged at each of a succession of hammering stations to individually act upon the needles at different portions of the length thereof, means for successively ,feedlng non-rotating needles laterally past ,said hammers, a shank-rest supporting the advancing needles, a phi-- the needles at different portions of the length thereof, means for successively feeding needles laterally past said hammers, a needlesupport, a plurality of individually yielding pressers opposed to said support engaging the advancing needles, and plungers incorporated in and yielding independently of said pressers engaging the needles adjacent thepaths of movement of said hammers.

19. In aneedlestraightening machine, a hammer, means for actuating said hammer, a needle-support, means for continuously feeding needles along said support, a presser-lever, a presser-plate opposed to said needle-support carried by said lever, means yieldingly urging said Presser-plate toward said needle-support, a plunger slidingly disposed in said presser-lever, and means yieldingly urging said plunger toward said support to engage the needles with an increased pressure adjacent the path of movement of said hammer.

20. In a straightening machine, a succession of hammers arranged to actlupon a needle at different hammering stations, feedscrews for'continuously advancing non-rotating needles past said stations, a needlesupporting shank-rest stepped intermediate its length to induce axial inversion of the needles between successive stations, and means yieldingly opposed to said shank-rest for restraining the needles against rotation during their advance past the hammering stations, the base of the threads of one of the feed-screws being stepped in conformity with the stepped shank-rest to maintain the needles substantially horizontal at successive hammering stations.

21. In a needle-straightening machine, a plurality of hammers arranged at each of a succession of hammering stations to act upon the needles at different portions of the length thereof, a hammer of one station actin; upon one portion of the needle-length corresponding to the portion of the needle-' 10 the needles at different portions of the length thereof, feeding means for continuously advancing non-rotating needles past said stations, means for axially inverting the needles between successive hannnering stations,

and an automatically acting hammer-impact 1 controlling device for each of the hammers. In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specifieatlon.

IVILLIAM TIVENDA LE. 

